Prominent Catholics see larger role for laity in church’s abuse response

WASHINGTON. An independent lay-run board that would hold bishops accountable for their actions, a national day for Mass or prayers of reparation, and encouragement to parishioners to become more involved in their diocese are among steps suggested by prominent lay Catholics to right the U.S. Church as it deals with a new clergy sexual abuse scandal.

Those contacted by Catholic News Service said that it was time for laypeople to boost their profile within the Church and help begin to dismantle long-standing clericalism that has sought to preserve the reputation of offending clergy at the expense of the safety of children.

“Their credibility is gone and the trust of the faithful is gone,” Francesco Cesareo, chairman of the National Review Board, said of the U.S. bishops as they worked to develop steps to promote greater accountability on abuse.

The National Review Board, established by the bishops in 2002, oversees compliance by dioceses with the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” It has no role in oversight of bishops.

“The bishops have to put their trust in lay leadership and allow that lay leadership to develop the processes and oversight when these kinds of allegations occur, particularly holding bishops accountable,” Cesareo said.

In a presentation at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ spring general assembly in June in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cesareo cautioned the prelates against complacency in meeting the charter’s requirements. He said that auditors preparing the 2016-2017 annual report on the charter’s implementation nationwide discovered signs of complacency in some dioceses and eparchies.

“I’ve been addressing the body of bishops four, five times. I’ve driven the point that they can’t be complacent, and here we are again with another crisis,” Cesareo said.

“We went through the crisis in 2002 and had good policies and procedures in place, and allegations and current abuse have gone down,” he said. “But when we see the bishops don’t get it, that there’s still the notion of self-preservation at the expense of the victim ... it just begs for lay leadership to come forward and to address this and help lead to healing.”

F. DeKarlos Blackmon, secretariat director of life, charity and justice in the Diocese of Austin, Texas, urged laypeople to “step up and speak up.”

“We as laity need to be able to walk with the leadership. Pope Benedict stated the Church can never be without the dedicated laity. I think it’s really important that we keep that in mind. We have a place at the table,” said Blackmon, an adviser to the bishops’ Subcommittee on African American Affairs.

Teresa Tomeo, host of a syndicated radio talk show, said it is the laity’s job to convince the bishops that more oversight of their actions is good for the Church.

She suggested that the new scandal will “wake up a sleeping giant” as laypeople “respectfully and lovingly” address the bishops about the issue of clergy sexual abuse and help set a new course for the Church.

“We need to come together as a group and ... work with the hierarchy to come up with the steps that need to be made,” Tomeo said. “We need to stay, pray and get organized and be willing to make a difference for the sake of the Church.”

Any steps that eventually will be undertaken will require broad collaboration among the laity and clergy and for each party to hold the other accountable, said Hosffman Ospino, associate professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education at Boston College.

“What can the laity do? Get involved,” Ospino said. “This (challenge) should galvanize our energy because we need to reclaim our Church.

“Because we care for the community and care for these children, the vulnerable and families, we need to get involved. We need to be vocal about it. We need to find ways to help in our own church,” he said.

At the same time, Ospino cautioned about the potential rise in laicism, that only laypeople have the best answers to what is confronting the Church. Such thinking is no better than clericalism, he said.

“We are all in the same boat and we need to hold each other accountable.”

Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has worked to include laypeople in key roles within the Church including some levels of governance, and Ospino called for “potential adjustments to canon law” to broaden the role of laity.

“I think that countless people are ready for this. The ball is in the clergy’s court.”